Independent since 2019 · No paid placement, ever Prices re-checked weekly
Plan review

Tello Talk & Text Review

The cheapest standing monthly rate we track — unlimited calls and texts, no term, no data.

At a Glance

Price
$8/mo, billed monthly
Network
T-Mobile 5G + 4G LTE
Talk & text
Unlimited minutes and unlimited texts
Data
None
International calling
Free calls to 60+ countries on any calling plan
Hotspot
Not applicable
Term
None — upgrade or downgrade free at any time
Activation
No activation fee
Taxes & fees
Extra — amount not published

How Tello Talk & Text Scores

We scored Tello Talk & Text against the same four pillars we use for every plan. Here’s how it broke down.

Value for money 9.2
Network & speed 7.5
Hotspot & features 3.5
Customer experience 7.8

Pricing: eight dollars, monthly

<strong>$8 a month, billed monthly.</strong> Tello labels its introductory rates explicitly — the Max plan is advertised as $15 for three months then $25 — and this tier carries no such label, so $8 is the standing price rather than a promotion.

Taxes and fees are extra. Tello's own FAQ acknowledges that bills run above the plan price but does not publish the amount, so treat $8 as a floor.

What You Get

✓Cheapest standing monthly rate we track at $8, with no term to commit to
✓Free calls to more than 60 countries included
✓Change or cancel the plan any time at no charge
✓No activation fee and no contract
✓Free Wi-Fi calling

What You Don't Get

−No data at all, which breaks MMS — see below
−Taxes and fees are extra and Tello does not publish the amount
−Deprioritized behind T-Mobile's own customers during congestion
−Online only — no retail support

How Tello Talk & Text compares

The comparison that decides this plan is Tello's own Starter tier, two dollars above it.

Feature Tello Talk & Text Tello Starter
Price $8/mo $10/mo
Data None 2GB
MMS Cannot send or receive Works
Hotspot None 2GB
Talk & text Unlimited Unlimited
Term None None

Who should choose Tello Talk & Text

✓The handset can't use data meaningfully — a flip phone or feature phone
✓It's a child's first phone and the absence of data is the point
✓It's a backup line that lives in a drawer or a glovebox
✓You call internationally and want the 60-country calling included
✓You want the lowest possible monthly bill with no term

Who should skip it

−Anyone will send you a photo, a video, an emoji or a link — those are MMS
−You navigate, use app-based two-factor, or message outside SMS
−You want retail support
−Two dollars more matters less to you than the functions it buys

Final Verdict

The cheapest genuinely monthly plan we track, and the one to buy if a phone only needs to make calls. The catch is not the price but the absence of data: without it the line cannot send or receive MMS, and any message carrying a picture, video, emoji or link is an MMS. For a child's first phone that may be the point. For a grandparent expecting photos it is the wrong plan, and Starter at $10 fixes it.

See plan details →

Other Tello plans we’ve reviewed

Same carrier, same network — different price and data. Here’s how the rest of the Tello lineup scored.

Browse all carriers →

Same budget, different carrier

Plans priced within a few dollars of Tello Talk & Text, from carriers we rate independently. Worth a look before you commit.

Compare these side by side →
Independent since 2019 · No paid placement, ever Prices re-checked weekly
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JG Reviewed by Jean Gilles · How we rank

At a Glance

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